BBC criticised over 75 Tennant appearances

A Conservative MP has accused BBC executives of promoting David Tennant at the expense of other actors.

Tory politician Nigel Evans made his comments after research showed that Tennant will have made 75 appearances in three weeks on BBC television and radio stations by the end of the festive period.

It is understood that 28 of the Doctor Who star's appearances are in new programmes, while 47 are repeats.

Evans, who sits on the Culture Media and Sport select committee, told The Daily Telegraph: "Relying on such an overkill of one particular person is freezing out a lot of opportunity for a lot of up and coming people.

"Even the most dedicated fan might have thought that the BBC was turning into the David Tennant Corporation. I know thanks to digital TV we have 200 channels, but 200 channels of David Tennant doesn't seem to be much choice."

A BBC spokesperson insisted: "These appearances were spread over several weeks and channels. We would not expect any one audience to see more than a handful."

As well as being seen in Doctor Who, Tennant has appeared in Catherine Tate: Nan's Christmas Carol, guested on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and read stories for a children's show in recent days.